Here’s How You Can Catch Light in a Bucket

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Using the same principle that allows fiber optic cables to show you that GIF of Benedict Cumberbatch, you can bend light into a bucket.

When light passes through an object, its path can bent or refracted depending on the density and consistency of the object. That’s why it’s almost impossible to successfully snatch an object from the bottom of the pool from above its surface — at the interface of the air and the water, light bends enough to shift out perspective.

But if the difference between the interfaces is significant enough, a light beam can be reflected away from the interface. Amazingly, put a laser beam through a stream of water at the right angle and the laser will be reflected internally all the way through — total internal reflection.